<p>I'm very uncertain of how this process goes. I've always been a quiet person throughout elementary/middle/high school, and I'm having trouble speaking out more in college too. In lecture halls, I can almost never bring myself to raise my hand and ask questions, though its a little better in smaller seminar classes and others.</p>
<p>I also dislike just commenting on something for the sake of commenting, which I find a lot of people do. If I raise a point, I want it to be significant and meaningful, not something said for the sake of being said.</p>
<p>Anyway, my main concern is getting closer to professors and getting recommendation letters for things like jobs/internships/programs that I want to apply to. I'm a sophomore at UPenn, and I never keep in contact with professors after I leave their class for the term. Do normal people often do?</p>
<p>How do people get closer to a professor? I use to go to OH a lot, but it always feels awkward and weird, and I don't always have questions to ask, at which point I dont know what to do.</p>
<p>How do people get the nerve to go up to professors and ask? Also, how far in advance should I ask? Any tips?</p>
<p>Are there any professors you like? ask them for help one day after class if youre having trouble, or see if there are any that you might want to get to know better. You can also just go up to them, if they dont know you by name, and say, “I realize that ive never introduced myself. I’m _______.” smile at them. say hi in the halls. and see who smiles back. :)</p>
<p>As a professor myself, I will tell you seems to work.</p>
<p>The first thing you can do is to sit in front and make yourself known to them by introducing yourself at the beginning of the semester. Don’t be afraid of going to office hours and asking questions or even advice. Most professors are happy if students come to office hours. Once you get to know the professor and have done done well in the class, you can ask for a reference.</p>
<p>I have found that if you make the effort to get to know professors, it is really rewarding. I think it is probably a lot easier for me to go up to professors than most people, since I actually would eventually like to become a professor, but in my experience this is what seems to work for people.
Most professors I have interacted with are very nice, interesting people. Many of them are also very shy, even the ones who don’t appear to be in the classroom or in other academic contexts. I think the best thing to do to start a conversation would be to approach them after class or in office hours and ask them questions that go beyond the scope of the course to show you are truly interested in what they do and are not just trying to ask what is on the test. Another great thing is to ask them about their research, in my experience this is the best way to get professors to open up as they tend to love talking to students about their research.</p>
<p>OP: You sound very much like my younger daughter. She is a sophomore in college and wants to go to grad school. She understands how important getting to know 1 or 2 professors is. Some of the ideas already mentioned are things she works on doing. She is just starting to get more comfortable with one professor. She has stopped into his office a few times with questions and he has suggested she email if he is not available when she has questions/problems. Email is another tool you can use to your advantage, especially if you have already introduced yourself to a professor. Many professors will answer questions through email. Is there any possibility of doing research? My older daughter did research in college for a professor that she never took a class from. In fact after she started in his lab she said she would never take a class from him because she didn’t want to disappoint him by not doing stellar. This professor was very happy with her work and wrote a few letters of recommendation for her.</p>
<p>You’d need to be one of the better students in the class to be worth remembering firstly. If getting a C, forget it. Speaking up in lecture is not required for them to endorse you, if you go to office hours a lot or something. Realistically though, if you’re terrified of speaking up, then don’t expect an LoR for certain things that require public speaking. I mean, that doesn’t sound like a great fit.</p>
<p>You don’t need to just talk about class stuff either. You could also ask if they need help with research or at least show an interest, similar to how they should be asking you about your goals. </p>
<p>I try to figure out which one class I’m doing best in and make an impression, then just send an email or stop by their office now and then after the class is over. Figure they’ll remember me then, although frankly some profs clearly see their interaction with students an obligation and nothing more. They aren’t worth the effort. Finally, if there’s a grad student assigned to the class you can kind of work thru them to get the prof’s attention also.</p>
<p>Tip: different profs have different levels of joke/teasing tolerance. Test the waters slowly to suss them out (hey, you wanna make a personal connection, right?)</p>
<p>I know REUs and external research programs require LoRs, but really, do full-time entry-level jobs and internships actually require LoRs? Industry seems so different than caring to know things like “student contributes to class discussion and asks meaningful questions”</p>
<p>I’ve got one professor who I’ve taken 4 courses with, and gotten all A’s in said courses. This guy will write me a letter of recommendation no problem for anything. Problem for me is, like you, I’m not the most outspoken individual - never have been.</p>
<p>Anyway here are few suggestions. If you have a professors you really enjoyed, buy them a small gift at the end of the semester, and write them a letter thanking them - if anything this will get you brownie points and they’ll surely remember you. You’re planting seeds and waiting for them to grow into references. Another way to make an impression is to go above and beyond, visit during office hours, earn the highest grade on exams. If you’re quite but are getting the highest grade or second highest grade you’ll be noticed. On our midterm recently I received the second highest score on the exam (missed one question) but that definitely got me on the radar. Another option is email. While email is a bit informal, I find it quite effective and its also easier to outline you goals and needs in email form - just keep the emails extremely professional and well written. Always address them as Dr. makes them feel important! </p>
<p>I’m applying for an archaeology field school this summer and I need one more reference, so like you I’m kind of stuck as I don’t know anyone to ask. The above options are great if you’ve got time but the application deadline is in three weeks. I’m thinking about asking my professor tomorrow, as I’m sure she’ll write me a letter. Problem is I don’t really know her that well. I show up for class each day and she knows my name, but I’ve never contributed any comments in class discussions. My plan is to visit her during office hours and just flat out ask! Probably not the best approach, but I don’t have many other options.</p>
<p>I’m the same as you… I always had trouble getting close to professors.</p>
<p>In college, I only got close to teachers within my major which works well in hindsight. I basically e-mail them for help, even if it’s something I’m a teeny bit unsure of. I keep in contact after class by continuing asking them questions (since they are in my major) and they will help me. For example, I’m a journalism major and I asked my past jour prof recently for help on an article I wanted to submit to the local newspaper.</p>
<p>And if you have a prof that seems like they could be your friend, totally try to talk to them like before/after class and build a little foundation.</p>
<p>My son told me that he ran into one of his professors from many years ago recently at a grocery store in Boston. The Professor was in town for a conference.</p>
<p>My son used to chat with his professors during office hours or just in running into them in the hallway. Sometimes they would come over and have lunch with him in the cafeteria. I think that they would chat about their research work with him.</p>
<p>I think that staying ahead of the class (read a lesson or two ahead, keeping up with current events in the course field (read the WSJ every morning if you’re in an economics class), and raising your hand to answer questions, and going to office hours helps you out here. Professors are people too and they are like other people, just a little bit (or sometimes more) older.</p>
<p>Plan ahead. Try to connect with the prof a couple months in advance, instead of just cold calling him for a recommendation. “Let’s see, which class of mine are you in?”</p>